SEATTLE – (Aug. 21, 2017) – Virginia Mason Chairman and CEO Gary S. Kaplan, MD, is No. 40 on Modern Healthcare magazine’s annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.

This is the ninth time he has been on the national publication’s roster of most influential people. The 2017 list was announced today.

“This recognition of Dr. Kaplan is a direct reflection of the contributions the entire Virginia Mason team is making to transform health care,” said Tod Hamachek, chair, Virginia Mason Board of Directors. “He is a visionary leader guiding an organization focused on continuously improving quality, safety and the patient experience.”

The Modern Healthcare ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare honors individuals who are deemed by their peers and an expert panel to be the most influential in the industry, in terms of leadership and impact. See the 2017 list at 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.

In addition to serving as chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason since 2000, Dr. Kaplan is a practicing internal medicine physician; chair of the National Patient Safety Foundation Lucian Leape Institute; and immediate past chair of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Board of Directors.

In June, Dr. Kaplan was named one of the 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare for the 12th straight year and, the same month, he received the 2017 National Healthcare Award from B’nai B’rith International.

Dr. Kaplan is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), the American College of Medical Practice Executives (FACMPE) and the American College of Physician Executives (FACPE).

About Virginia Mason Health System Virginia Mason, founded in 1920, is a nonprofit regional health care system based in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. In the Puget Sound region, the system includes 336-bed Virginia Mason Hospital; a primary and specialty care group practice of more than 500 physicians; regional medical centers in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kirkland, Issaquah and Lynnwood; Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed and built specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS; Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research; and Virginia Mason Institute, which trains health care professionals and others from around the world in the Virginia Mason Production System, an innovative management methodology for continually improving quality, safety and efficiency. Virginia Mason online: VirginiaMason.org

Virginia Mason Health System also includes Virginia Mason Memorial, a 226-bed hospital serving the Yakima Valley in central Washington since 1950. Memorial online: YakimaMemorial.org

Media Contact:
Gale Robinette
Media Relations Manager
Virginia Mason Health System
(206) 341-1509
gale.robinette@VirginiaMason.org